Speaking with the BBC Today programme this morning, David Davis waved away such claims, saying: "The Article 50 clause which governs the departure actually says the negotiation will cover the departure of the European Union and take into account the future ongoing relationship and so you've got to have both together because one must take into account the other."

However, Davis added the first thing the UK would be looking at is the status of EU citizens in the UK, and vice versa. He added negotiating the status of the border with Ireland would be high on the to-do list.

The Brexit secretary also dismissed claims the whole deal could not be done within two years, saying the timeframe was "absolutely not a joke".

He added: "People try to compare it to other negotiations...it's the only free trade deal in the history of the world in which the country involved already is in a free trade arrangement with the other countries where all the product standards are the same."

Davis also denied that Prime Minister Theresa May's comments that the UK could withdraw its cooperation in European anti-crime efforts should the country not get the deal it wants were a thinly veiled threat or blackmail.

"This is not a threat," he said. "This is a statement of the fact that it will be harmful for both of us...if we don't get a deal."